Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister of Cambodia, stated on his official social media account on October 21, 2026: “I welcome Mr. Um Sam An’s positive response to my invitation to him and his border expert team to bring all the documents and evidence they hold concerning the Cambodia–Thailand border between boundary markers No. 52 and No. 59 to discuss with the expert team of the State Secretariat of Border Affairs in Cambodia, and present the basis for his allegation that the Royal Government ceded territory to Thailand there.”
Over nearly two weeks, Mr. Um Sam An’s position has kept changing: at one point he said he dared not come for fear of being shot covertly or struck on the head; at another he said he would come only with a pardon, and now says he will come without one. He has said he has sufficient documents and evidence, then that he has no clear documents and relies on what others say or his own special intuition. He has said he would recognise the discussion’s results only if French border experts participated; that he would discuss the entire land and water border rather than the section between markers 52–59; and that, as a politician, he must come to discuss or conduct political affairs, and so on.
My position has been clear and unchanged from the outset: to invite Mr. Um Sam An and his border expert team to bring all the documents and evidence they hold concerning the Cambodia–Thailand border between markers 52 and 59, especially the locations where he alleged that the Royal Government and its border team had placed markers inside Cambodian territory, causing Cambodian land to be lost to Thailand.
To make the forthcoming meeting, discussion and verification clear, I set out the following conditions:
1. Discussion must rest on technical grounds and specific documentary evidence and cover only one subject: examining the Cambodia–Thailand border between markers 52–59, where he and his team alleged the Royal Government ceded land to Thailand. He and his team must therefore:
- Form a clearly defined border expert team with an understanding of border technical matters;
- Prepare all documents and evidence in their possession for verification at the relevant location in Cambodian territory, based on technical grounds and specific documentary evidence.
2. No activities may be conducted other than discussion and verification with the Royal Government’s border team concerning the Cambodia–Thailand border between markers 52–59, on technical grounds and specific documentary evidence. In particular, no political activities of any kind, whether covert or public, may be undertaken while his team is in Cambodia. In short, do not use the occasion to pursue other activities.
3. Discussions may take place at any time after November 28, 2026. Before November 28, the Royal Government is occupied with preparations for the OIF Summit, which Cambodia will host, and participation in the third meeting of the Cambodia–Thailand Conciliation Commission under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
4. They must arrive in Cambodia no more than two days before the discussions and verification begin, and leave no later than two days after they conclude.
I emphasise that my guarantee concerns only coming to Cambodia to discuss and verify the Cambodia–Thailand border between markers 52–59, and applies only within the time limits set out above.
If Mr. Um Sam An accepts these conditions, please confirm:
1. The participants and their arrival time in Cambodia;
2. What support the Royal Government may provide him and his team, including accommodation, transport or security protection, so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
